Tornadoes are a part of life for those who have to live in an area of the country where they often flatten houses and wreak havoc over large sections of land as do hurricanes elsewhere. All of us have seen the devastation and loss of property. The only way to prevent that is to prepare before it happens; here is a good solution to this terrifying tragedy.

Steps

1

Acquire used cargo containers. All over the U.S. and in other countries there are stacks of used cargo containers. The owners don't make money when they have to ship them back empty so they sell them off to be cut up for scrap or even turned into portable housing. Looking up cargo containers on Google will give you some idea of what can be done with a steel box that is approximately 10 X 10 x 20, 30 or even 40 feet (12.2 m) long.

2

Create the cargo container shelter during non-tornado season. Tornadoes and hurricanes only strike during specific times of the year, so the off-season is, of course, the best time to install a cargo container shelter.

3

Start prepping. Modify the doors, which should be made for quick entry. There are several other things that have to be done, such as making the container airtight..

4

Shipping containers are built to to be stacked, so they are strong vertically, but the sides are too weak to have tons of dirt pressing onto them. They need some kind of reinforcement for underground use.

5

Make or buy a ship type hatch that can be dogged down tight, yet still be able to open wide to accommodate large items.

6

Set the container in the ground. Once the doors have been modified it is now time to place the container in the ground and no you're not going to bury the whole thing, the hole will only be one foot wider than the container and only a foot longer with a ramp at the door/hatch end for quick entry and exit and only half as deep as the container is high.

7

Use concrete blocks for the bottom of the hole you have dug. The bottom of the hole should be prepared with either a set of concrete blocks or a solid footing for the container to rest on depending on weather and ground water and on how the container will be put into the hole, pushed in or dropped in by a crane.

8

Push the dirt back into the hole. The dirt taken from the hole would then be pushed back into the open sides and far end creating a slope up to the top on three sides. The top of the container can then be covered by planking to make a nice deck or even have a nice gazebo for summer.

9

Make your shelter comfortable. The inside can be made as comfortable as you want or left as is but when the storm season comes you just may have to live in it till your house is rebuilt. Once it is in the ground and ramped with earth it would take an exceptionally strong wind to blow it away.

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Tips

An optional hatch can be installed into the top of the container in the event that the main door be blocked by wind blown debris.

Containers are not really expensive, and can be found in just about any large city, the truck that brings it to your property can back it in to the hole, and any mods needed can then be done,be sure that it is above ground water level.